Apr 8, 2015

Dell continues to believe in Android despite the lack of popularity for its tablets and smartphones launched in the past. The company's new slate it aimed at the business segment, though the price could make it a mainstream tablet.

Feature-wise though, the new Dell Venue 10 7000 is clearly a business-ready tablet. First of all, the tablet will ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop. Speaking of release, Dell confirmed the Venue 10 7000 will be available for purchase in May for $500. It will be launched in the US, Canada and China and for the extra $130 customers will be able to get the tablet along with the keyboard. Dell Venue 10 7000 is equipped with a quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 Moorefield processor and 2GB of RAM, but there's no mention of the amount of storage. There's a high chance that this will come with 16GB of internal memory.

On the back, the tablet packs an 8-megapixel Intel RealSense snapshot depth camera. The slate is powered by a 7,000 mAh battery and weighs around 585g. Although it might go as a heavy tablet, the Venue 10 7000 is only 6.2mm thin. There's also something for the audiophiles as well: a pair of stereo speakers placed in the front, which are powered by MaxxAudio Mobile technology by Waves. Those thinking to purchase the Venue 10 7000 should also know that Dell confirmed it will offer Office for Android on the tablet sometime this summer.

“The Venue 10 7000 gives our customers all that and more: enhanced productivity with a full-sized keyboard and Android for Work, a brilliant display and innovative features like the Intel RealSense snapshot depth camera, all wrapped in a gorgeous design,” said Neil Hand, vice president, Dell Tablet Group.

ASUS announced the world’s first smartphone with 4GB of RAM, the ZenFone 2, back at CES 2015, and since then the Korean company has been busy launching it on several markets across the globe.

For example, we already know that the phone will launch in Malaysia on April 2, and two days later ASUS has another event scheduled, this time in India. So all ASUS fans in India can expect to see their favorite company unveil the ZenFone 2 in three distinct variants on April 23. The most affordable version of them all will be the ZenFone 2 ZE500CL, which will arrive with a 5-inch 720p display, a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Atom Z2560 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP/2MP camera setup, and a 2,500 mAh battery.

For a little extra cash, you’ll be able to grab the ZenFone 2 ZE550ML with a 5.5-inch 720p display, 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3560 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 13MP/5MP camera setup, and a 3,000 mAh battery. The top of the line version is the ZenFone 2 ZE551ML, which will be offered with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 SoC, plus 4GB of RAM and NFC. Sadly, at this moment, we can’t provide you with the prices for these phones. However, ASUS has surprised us so far with affordable prices for its ZenFone 2 lineup. For example, the 4GB model sells in China for only $318 / €300.

Last year, Apple released an iPad mini 3 model that didn't really impress customers looking to buy a tablet. The Cupertino tech giant only added a Touch ID sensor and a new coloring option to the previous version, and voila, you had the iPad mini 3.

Most of us where actually hoping for Apple to port some of the features characteristic to the iPad Air 2 to the new mini tablet, but that didn't happen. However, the Cupertino tech giant might be looking to make things right this year with its upcoming iPad Mini 4. The folks at French website Nowhere Else have managed to get hold of a few images and a video showcasing what appears to be the aluminum case of Apple’s next-gen iPad mini.

Word of the iPad mini 4 pops up

According to the leak, the iPad mini 4 should be thinner than previous models, in the likelihood of the iPad Air 2. On top of that, the new tablet will apparently have the speaker grill located on the bottom side, just like on the latest Air pad. The upcoming tablet also seems to be lacking the mute/lock switch. The case appears to be that of a cellular version of the iPad mini 4, because one can spot a chunky antenna cutout on top. The SIM slot is also visible. Interestingly enough, while we have been hearing a lot of rumors about Apple’s upcoming iPhone and iPad Pro models, we haven’t seen anything related to next-gen mini models.

The iPad Pro model, for instance, is expected to arrive with a 12.9-inch form factor, and if rumors are to be believed, the slate will offer four speakers and a second connector port (USB 3.0). It might also arrive with an optional QWERTY keyboard and a stylus.

Will the new iPad mini feature an IGZO panel?

Yesterday, we also found out that Apple was apparently planning to use IGZO panel technology in its next-gen iPads, supplied by LG, Sharp and Samsung Display. So maybe the iPad mini 4 will also benefit from said technology. The iPad Pro also leaked in a purported image, showing an atypical setup with three FaceTime full HD cameras, one located at the top and others on the side. Is Apple looking to implement a 3D/HD video calling function? Who knows?

Android 5.1 has started rolling out for Nexus devices a few weeks back, and not long ago, we told you that the Motorola Moto G Google Play Edition also received the same treatment. Yesterday, it was the turn of the LG G Pad 8.3 GPe to get updated, and Google is not stopping here.

Today, we get word that the HTC One M8 GPe is also receiving the new Android 5.1 build, which arrives in the form of a 244.2MB file. It’s unclear how widespread the rollout is at the moment, so if you don’t see the new update on your phone, don’t fret just yet. It might just take a few days before the build reaches your handset. The update brings some nifty additions, including improvements concerning battery life and a new way to secure phones that have been lost or misplaced. With this update, lost Android 5.1 phones will not run unless the true owner of the handset types in their Google credentials.

The build will also bestow a list of numerous bug fixes, but won’t solve the pesky memory leakage problem users have been dealing with ever since Android 5.0 came along. That patch is probably reserved for when Android 5.1.1 arrives.

Android 5.1 Lollipop arrives on HTC One M8 GPEImage credits to Reddit

HTC One M8 GPe is no longer available for purchaseImage credits to Phandroid

The HTC One M9+ has leaked intensively in the past few weeks, preparing us for a larger version of the HTC One M9 flagship with slightly better specs.

The phone has finally gone live today in Beijing, which sadly means that HTC will only market the phone in Asia and related territories. The larger One M9 phone takes advantage of a 5-inch LCD display with 1440 x 2560 pixel (QHD) resolution and draws life from a MediaTek MT6795T octa-core chip clocked at 2.2GHz and fitted with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It will be interesting to compare the performance of MediaTek’s latest octa-core chip against the Snapdragon 810 inside the One M9. HTC has added a 20MP main duo camera (like on last year's One M8) and is offering the model in three color combinations: silver and gold on the sides, all-gold, or gunmetal grey. Naturally, the familiar front-facing BoomSound speakers with support for Dolby Surround are also present.

Unlike the One M9, the One M9+ takes advantage of a fingerprint scanner which has been embedded in the home button. The system is compatible with the popular (in Asia) AliPay Wallet payment system.

HTC makes the high-end version of the One M9 available only in Asia

Visually, the new phone doesn't differ all that much from the One M9 which arrived in the wild a few weeks ago. We’re treated to the same unibody metal design, which we have to admit looks quite beautiful. We’re not currently told how much the phone will retail for and when we can hope to see it arrive in stores, but it should happen soon enough. If you’re curious to see what the differences between the One M9 and the One M9+ are, we have attached a table below, which hopefully makes things more clear. Images gallery below, click for larger view.

We reported last week Lenovo A7000 will be officially launched in India on April 7. True to its promise, the Chinese company introduced its affordable smartphone in the country and confirmed once again that it will be available exclusively through Flipkart.

The Indian major retailer is supposed to offer the smartphone through a flash sale system, which is likely to frustrate many Lenovo fans. The flash sale system is meant to cover up the fact that Lenovo was not capable to deliver enough A7000 units for customers in India. It's also a way to test demand for a product that you're not sure it will be popular. Lenovo is likely to order more A7000 units if the smartphone will sell well in India. Speaking of which, Lenovo A7000 will be available for purchase at Flipkart for only Rs 9,000, which is about $145 or €135.

It will go on sale on April 15

The first flash sale for the A7000 will take place on April 15 at 2PM. Obviously, you will have to register if you want to be able to place an order for the Lenovo A7000. Flipkart is expected to have more Lenovo A7000 flash sales if the first one proves that the smartphone is popular among Android fans. Lenovo A7000 is an affordable smartphone that comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system out of the box. It also offers the Dolby Atmos sound technology, which is supposed to make it stand out.

Other highlights of the A7000 include a decent 5.5-inch HD (720p) capacitive touchscreen display, LTE and dual-SIM support, as well as 8GB of internal memory. The smartphone is equipped with an octa-core MediaTek MT6752 processor clocked at 1.7GHz, a Mali-T760MP2 graphics processing unit and 2GB of RAM. It's also worth mentioning Lenovo A7000 features an 8-megapixel camera on the back, a 5-megapixel camera in the front and 2,900 mAh battery.

While Sony continues the rollout of Android 5.0 Lollipop update for several of its Xperia smartphone, rumors about some unannounced smartphones keep pouring in.

After Sony Cosmos, which we now know that it will be launched on the market as Xperia C4, we've just learned about another smartphone that should be announced in the not so distant future. According to @upleaks, Sony has one more surprise for fans of the Japanese brand, which is called Lavender. The smartphone has been tagged with the E5503 model number, but internally it's called Sony Lavender. Unfortunately, we don't know too much about Lavender's specs sheet expect for the fact that it will be equipped with a 64-bit MediaTek chipset and a full HD (1080p) capacitive touchscreen display.

We also expect the smartphone to ship with Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system out of the box with Sony's proprietary UI on top. Sony Lavender is likely to be introduced along with Xperia C4, which continues to be leaked online. For the time being though, it's unclear when exactly Sony will announce these mid-range Android smartphones. We will probably know more about the Lavender, including its market name, in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

Earlier today, we told you that Apple’s next-gen iPad models would apparently be recipients of IGZO panel technology supplied by LG Display, Sharp and Samsung Display.

Apple is probably going to unleash multiple iPad models this year, but the one that poses the most interest is the highly rumored iPad Pro or iPad Plus, which is expected to arrive with a spacious 12-inch display. A new leak coming out of Asia (as seen at Tablet-News) shows us what looks like the iPad Pro, and we’re also given a few more details about the upcoming model. For starters, the render reveals that the tablet will seemingly have three FaceTime Full HD cameras, one located at the top and the others on the sides. It's an interesting setup which Apple might use to trigger 3D/HD video calls, but this aspect is unclear at the moment.

The tablet is also shown to have a main iSight 8MP camera integrated in the Apple logo on the back. The ring around the Home button and Touch ID is also visible. We also get to see the 4 integrated speakers, one in each corner. Last but not least, we notice a (pretty wide) port located at the bottom. Could it be a USB Type-C port?

Sources familiar with the matter mention that the tablet should enjoy the services of a whopping 10,000mAh battery. What do you think of this leak? Is it the real deal?